I Think I'm In Love With You
by rosepetalsinwinter
Summary: A series of Swan Queen one-shots. Ratings vary and prompts are welcome!
1. Small Steps

**Emma POV**

"Oh shit!" I sat up with a start, looking frantically at the clock beside me. Regina moaned and rolled over next to me, her arm lolling across my lap.

"What is it babe?" she asked groggily.

"We overslept. Everyone's supposed to meet at Granny's for breakfast in fifteen minutes."

"Come on Emma. It's okay if we're a little bit late. Besides, I'd much rather spend my Saturday morning with you – here." Sitting up more fully, she pulled me in for a kiss. I giggled against her lips – a sound that only Regina Mills could elicit.

"When you live with your kid, your parents and _their _kid, and all of them decide to make breakfast plans, late is not an option. Now get your ass out of bed."

"But it's so warm," she protested. I rolled my eyes, bending over to retrieve my jeans.

"Hey Regina, do you know where I left my shirt?"

"What shirt were you wearing?"

"The blue blouse. It was really – oh! Found it!" My smile quickly fell when I realized that my particular garment was missing all of its front buttons.

_She shoved up against the wall, trailing hungry kisses down my neck. "I hope you're not too fond of this blouse," she whispered before ripping it open, buttons pattering on the hardwood floor._

"Oh," I sighed, holding the blouse up for Regina to see. She laughed.

"Right. Forgot about that. You can borrow one of mine."

"Thanks." I rifled through her closet, looking for something that resembled my old shirt. With no such luck, I pulled on a dark gray silk blouse. It was then I noticed Regina was still in bed. "Gina!" I exclaimed. "Get the hell out of bed!" I only ever used the nickname when I needed her to do something, and as usual it paid off. She slipped from between the sheets, running her fingers through her hair.

"You know I hate it when you call me that," she complained, her beautiful body on full display as she sauntered towards me.

I chuckled. "Oh come one, you love it," I said, pulling her into a hot kiss. Her fingers ran though my tangled hair as I pulled her close. "Mmm," I whispered, "Regina we have to –" I was cut off by a sharp knocking on the bedroom door. "Shit, Henry."

"Shhh." Motioning towards her bathroom Regina called, "Give me a second Henry." I kept the bathroom door open a crack to see her grab a robe before opening the door for our son.

"We have to be at Granny's in ten minutes. Better get organized," the boy said, gesturing to his mother's rather messy room. I prayed he didn't notice my jacket peeking out from under a pile of Regina's clothes.

"Of course," the brunette replied. "I'll be down in a couple of minutes."

Seemingly oblivious, Henry nodded before leaving the room. I exhaled a breath I didn't even realize I was holding.

"That was close," I said, exiting the bathroom.

"Very," she replied, grabbing a pair of jeans and her favourite purple sweater. "So here's the plan. I'm going to poof you outside. Knock on the door and take us to breakfast."

"Regina we're going to have to tell everyone about us at some point."

She moved so that we were mere inches apart. Her gaze wasn't confrontational though. It was soft and just a bit scared.

"I-I know. I just don't think I'm –" I cut her off with a kiss.

"Don't worry, I know." Smiling, I added, "Now poof me."

Regina laughed and snapped her fingers and I was standing on her front lawn. Looking up, I saw her looking out her window. I waved and could see her smile. Suddenly, a hand shot and I was promptly hit on the head with my jacket.

"You forgot this," Regina mouthed from behind the glass.

I shook my head before approaching the front door, rapping on the white wood.

"Mom!" I heard Henry call, "Emma's here for breakfast." A few seconds later, the door opened and Regina was standing in front of me, shrugging on a jacket.

"Good morning Miss Swan," she said pleasantly, but her expression said so much more. Her position shielded her face from our keen – eyed son, and we shared a brief moment of understanding. I knew the pretending was killing Regina, because it was killing me too. I wanted to be able to open the door and kiss her cheek. I wanted to be able to hold her hand and not have to lie about where I was going. She just wasn't ready yet, and I respected that.

Henry ran out the door, headed towards my bug. "Shot gun!" he called, and we laughed.

I hopped in the driver seat, Regina climbing in the back. As if of it's own accord, the radio dial changed to Regina's favourite station. I looked back to see her smirking. _Magic. Should have guessed._

-ooo-

"Hey guys!" Mary Margaret said, gesturing for us to come over to the booth. She and David had already ordered and my mother was in the middle of feeding Neal. Everyone sat down, thumbing through the menu we pretty much knew off by heart.

"What are you getting?" Regina asked quietly, so that only I could hear. Under the table, I felt her hand curl into mine.

"That's a start," I whispered back, our fingers intertwining.


	2. Holidays Part 1

**Emma and Regina have four children including Henry.**

**Henry, 14 – his story is pretty much the same as in the show **

**Genevieve, 7 – biological child of Emma and Regina through magic**

**Ella and Hailey, 3 – adopted twins, more on their story to come**

"Miss Swan, why do I feel like this is a bad idea?"

Emma rolled her eyes from the driver's seat keeping her gaze locked on the road in front of her, which was being pounded by the biggest blizzard either woman had ever seen. "Don't Miss Swan me," she said. "It's been forever since we've been on vacation."

"Mommy!" Ella and Hailey called in unison, "are we there yet?"

"Almost," replied Regina, turning to face her children. Henry was reading a comic book in the back seat, accompanied by his sister, who was doing her best to read over his shoulder.

"Cat woman is _soooo_ cool, isn't she?" Genevieve said, absent-mindedly twisting her long raven hair.

"What!" the boy exclaimed. "How could she be better than Batman?! Have I taught you nothing?"

The girl giggled. "Yeah, just testing you." Henry rolled his eyes, flicking Genevieve on the head. She flicked him back before picking up a book.

Ella and Hailey – who had recently discovered the wonder of Disney films – were busying themselves with watching "Snow White" for possibly the millionth time. They seemed to think it hilarious that their mommy could _ever_ be the Evil Queen.

"You're too nice mommy," Hailey would say, hugging Regina.

"Glad you think so," she would reply, holding the girl tight.

-ooo-

"We're here!" Genevieve exclaimed when the hotel sign came into view.

"We are," replied her blonde mother, smiling at the look of joy on her children's faces.

"Does everyone have everything?" asked Regina, always the practical one.

"Yes," they replied in unison.

Emma parked the car, leading everyone towards the front door. Regina pulled Ella and Hailey into her arms to keep them from running into the road, leaving her wife to pull both of the suitcases. Emma thanked her stars she was a light packer, and that all of her children were identical in that respect.

"I'm going to wait over here," said Regina, gesturing to a small corner with a fireplace and two couches. Emma nodded, and the brunette walked away with Henry and the twins. Genevieve grabbed Emma's hand and followed her to the check – in desk.

"Hi. We're here to check in. It's under Swan – Mills." The receptionist looked up and immediately her expression changed from one of boredom to utter amazement.

"Wow!" she exclaimed.

Emma laughed nervously. "Come on, cut me some slack. I have four kids and drove just as many hours, but I can't look _that_ bad," she joked.

The woman laughed and shook her head. "No – sorry. That's not why I said that. It's just, you're a carbon copy of one of my absolute favourite TV characters, _and_ you have the same last name."

Not quite sure how to respond, Emma finished checking in before meeting Regina and going up to their room.

"This is awesome!" Genevieve exclaimed the second she laid eyes on their room. It had been extremely difficult to acquire a room with enough space for six people, especially one where Regina and Emma could actually have a shred of privacy - something they had lacked basically since Genevieve was born. Henry never made it his business to check up on his moms, preferring to let them do their thing while he did his, but Genevieve was bubbly, outgoing and playful, which meant down time was limited for the pair. Emma couldn't help but be excited at a chance to curl up and cuddle with her beautiful wife, and little did she know it, but Regina felt the same.

The children immediately claimed rooms and pullout couches, respectfully leaving the master for their parents. Emma wasted no time in flopping onto the soft bed, exhausted from the long drive. Regina crawled on the duvet next to her, kissing the blonde on the cheek.

"What do you want to do today?" the older woman whispered.

"Ugh… sleep," Emma replied, snuggling closer to Regina.

"Come on Emma. It's only noon."

Emma smirked. "Well we did come to a ski resort for a reason…"

Regina scoffed in reply. "Miss Swan, I do have a very wide and diverse skill set, but skiing is not in my repertoire."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, I'll teach you."

"And the children?"

"We're here for a week. They can go in lessons: Henry and Genevieve can go together, Ella and Hailey can be in a younger class, and I will teach you."

"Again, why do I feel like this will be a bad idea?"

-ooo-

"But mommy! I don't want to do lessons. I was to ski with you and mamma!" Ella sat on the couch, pouting as Emma tried to convince the young girl that she wouldn't be able to ski with her parents until she could _actually ski_.

"I want to take lessons," countered Hailey, sitting next to her sister. It struck Regina how beautiful their little girls were. Their light brown hair curled in ringlets around their ears, bouncy and golden in the light. Hailey had pulled her locks into a smart ponytail while Ella preferred to let it down. The girls might have been identical, but they couldn't be more different. Hailey was always adventurous, always up for a hike in the woods or a magic lesson, while Ella had her nose in every book she could get her hands on since she learned to read. Her sister, on the other hand, wasn't the biggest bookworm.

After some persuasion, Ella caved and agreed to lessons. Henry and Genevieve hadn't put up much of a fight, with only the slight eye-roll and sigh as a form of resistance.

Regina was another story.

Emma had spent two hours the night they arrived trying to convince her wife that she was, in fact, a practical teacher.

"It'll be so much fun!" Emma persisted as they slipped into bed. "I can teach _you_ something for once."

A smirk crept onto Regina's lips. "You've taught me a few things babe."

Emma rolled her eyes, sitting up from where she was curled up against Regina's chest.

"Mmmm, like this?" She leaned forward, kissing Regina on the crook of the neck. The older woman moaned softly as Emma's kisses trailed lower and lower, fingers creeping towards the waist-band of the brunette's pajama pants. "And this?" Slender fingers caused Regina to gasp, throwing her head back. "What about this?"

"Emma," the name fell from Regina's lips like a prayer. Those lips suddenly curved into a smile and she said, "There's something I've been meaning to teach you."

Thank god the children were deep sleepers.


	3. Holidays Part 2

"Goodbye mommy! Have fun with mumma!" Emma grinned as Hailey and Ella waved enthusiastically, looking ever so cute bundled up in their little snowsuits.

"Bye mom," Henry and Genevieve said in sync, before turning back to their instructor. Emma and Regina were left standing side by side.

"Come on then," said Emma, gesturing towards a small chairlift. At Regina's nervous expression, the blonde smiled. "Don't worry. It's a small hill." Comforted by that knowledge, the pair made their way to the lift, laughing as Regina almost fell into a snowdrift. "You ready?" Emma asked when they reached the top of the hill.

"As long as you don't let me fall," Regina replied, squeezing her wife's hand.

"Never."

-ooo-

"Okay, boys and girls, we're going to head over to the bunny hill. Make sure you get on single file and no pushing." Ella looked to Hailey and followed her sister's lead as the group moved towards a small, gentle hill. One boy kept moving closer to the girls until he was right next to them.

Remembering what her mother had said about being polite, Ella said, "Hello. I'm Ella. This is Hailey."

The boy was about two years older than them and wore a dark blue snowsuit. The wisps of curly blonde hair could be seen from beneath his helmet. Not bothering to introduce himself he asked, "Were those people your mommies?"

"Yes."

He looked confused. "Don't you have a daddy?"

Hailey and Ella were silent, contemplating his question. Then, Hailey spoke up. "No, we don't. We have two mommies though, and they're the best mommies ever!"

"If you have two mommies then how were you born?"

Ella shrugged. "Mommy said we were adopted."

The kid laughed. "You mean she's not your _real_ mom?"

Hailey grew angry. "Of course she is!"

He stuck out his tongue. "Is not!"

"Is too!" Hailey jumped at him, knocking the blonde boy to the ground. Emma hadn't taught her self-defense for nothing. He started to cry, alerting the attention of the instructor, who rushed over to the group.

"What on earth is going on here?" she asked with a singsong voice that secretly made Ella want to scream.

"She hit me!" yelled the boy.

"But he-" The instructor shushed Hailey, saying, "Sweetie. We do _not_ hit here. I'm going to have to tell your parents about this at the end of class." Shaking her head, she moved away, leaving Hailey and Ella to follow the class silently.

"Hailey?" Ella said, leaning towards her sister.

"Yeah."

"Will we have fun here, like mommy said?"

Hailey smiled "I think we can. We just have to be like mumma. Everybody likes a queen."

-ooo-

"Can we get some hot cocoa?" Henry was leaning against his mom, letting her warmth seep into his frozen body. His lessons had ended and he had realized he needed to get a new jacket.

Emma smiled. "'Course. Just as soon as we find your sisters."

"There they are!" exclaimed Regina, and she followed the brunette's gaze to see two brown-haired heads bobbing through the crowd. Weaving through the tangle of children and their parents, Emma scooped up her daughters.

She was about to walk away when a voice called, "Mrs. Swan!" It was first time she had been called _Mrs. _Swan. She kind of liked it. Turning around, she identified the speaker. It was the girls' ski instructor.

"Hi," she replied.

"Hello. I just wanted to let you know that Hailey punched s boy in class. We do not tolerate behavior like that in theses lessons. If this incident is repeated, Hailey will not be able to participate in ski lessons anymore."

Looking down at her daughter, Emma asked, "Hailey why did you punch the boy?"

Her voice was small. "He said you weren't my real mom." The weight of her sentence came crashing down on the woman like a ton of bricks. This was it. This was the real world. She had raised her family in a place where everyone was accepted. After all, a town full of former fairytale characters didn't particularly care how you had assembled your family, as long as you got your happy ending. But in the real world, people cared. Hailey, Ella, Genevieve and Henry would all have to face the fact that they were the adopted children of two mothers, and some people were not okay with that.

Emma put on her best smile and said, "Thank you. I'll speak with her."

As they walked away, Hailey said, "Am I in trouble mommy?"

"No. Just next time, use words, not fists."

A sly smile crept on Ella's face. "What about magic?"

Emma laughed. "No magic either if you can help it. Now, let's go get some hot cocoa."

-ooo-

"Emma this is getting ridiculous. This is the third time today." The Swan-Mills family had to yet again rush out of the coffee shop after they had been stopped by a group of girls asking for autographs. They had waited until the children were asleep before snuggling under the covers and pulling out Regina's laptop.

"What show was is it they said we're from? Once Upon A Time?"

"I think that's it. Look it up." Regina typed the words into the search bar and her eyes widened in shock.

"Emma…look at this." Emma's mouth fell open as she saw the pages and pages about a show called Once Upon A Time. Clicking on images, the pair grew more and more shocked.

"Regina, it's…us." They sat in silence, simply scrolling through the endless images and blogs dedicated to them. "How did this happen?

"I have no idea," the brunette replied.

"Is the show over?"

"Yes. It ended this summer."

"I want to see it."

Regina chuckled, clicking on a link to the last episode. A purple screen flashed in front of them and they watched their life unfold before their eyes. Skipping from season to season, they gasped, chuckled and even cried as they relived some of the best and worst moments of their lives. The one that hit Emma the hardest was the series finale. It was exactly as she remembered it. She and Regina were on the pier, wrapped in scarves against the brisk autumn weather when all of a sudden, Emma turned to Regina and said, "Will you marry me?". It was the last scene of the episode, and Emma had to admit that if she didn't know what happened next it would be quite the cliffhanger.

After the credits rolled, Emma turned to Regina and said, "This is crazy."

Her wife shrugged. "I think it's kind of cool, though I'm still trying to figure out how this came to be. We should show it to your parents when we get home. Emma's eyes glinted mischievously.

"Regina?"

"Yes?"

"I have an idea."

-ooo-

It was six o'clock in the morning and the store was nearly empty. They were in and out in fifteen minutes, and managed to make it home before the kids woke up.

When everyone was awake, Emma said, "We're going to skip skiing lessons today." (There was a small cheer from Hailey). "There's something I want to show you." The family gathered around as Emma popped in the newly-bought DVD, saying, "Kids, I'd like you to watch this. It's called Once Upon A Time, or as someone clever on the internet called it, the story of Swan Queen. We-" She was cut off by the cry of "Look! It's grandpa!"


	4. Security Lines

"Ma'am. We need to look through his bag." I tried not to let my annoyance become apparent as the woman in front of me was stopped in the airport security line. I had watched the back of her head as she and her dark-haired son weaved through the crowded airport, and now there she was again. Though I still hadn't managed to get a good look at the mother, I caught a glimpse of her little boy. Not more than 5, he looked confused as one of the security men grabbed his backpack, emptying the contents onto a table.

"May I ask why?" she said, voice calm and cool. "We're about to be late for our flight to Maine."

I noted we were on the same flight before as if on queue, a voice came over the speaker system announcing her and my flight had been delayed by half an hour.

The security official smiled an awfully smug smile. "Not anymore." She was silent as the man rooted through the boy's bag, pulling out a couple toys, a chocolate bar, and a large storybook with the words _Once Upon a Time_ embossed in gold lettering on the cover.

"Please be careful sir," the little boy said respectfully. "My teacher gave that to me."

Given that I was standing mere feet away, waiting for my bags to go through the security scanner, I was the only person close enough to hear her say, "Henry. Not now." She placed her arm around his shoulders, pulling him close. The pair waited in apprehension as the man flipped through the book before handing everything back to Henry. He took his things gratefully and they moved out of sight. I heard his mother say, "Let's put this back in your bag."

Grabbing my things, I headed for the gate and spent my newfound extra time finishing some paperwork. Boarding was called, and I took my seat on the plane, wasting no time in popping in my headphones. People filed past, taking their seats. After some time on the tarmac, we were in the air.

An hour passed, and I found myself becoming increasingly agitated. The person behind me had begun to kick my seat, and I was at my wit's end.

Whirling around, I said sharply. "Hey. Could you please stop-" The words died on my lips when my eyes landed on the little boy from the security line– Henry, I think his name was. His eyes were wide, and he looked scared.

"I'm sorry," came a voice beside him, and I finally got a good look at the boy's mother. It took considerable willpower to keep my jaw from hitting the floor. She was dressed in an overcoat over a blouse and a formal pair of pants. Nearly black hair cascaded to her shoulders, swept back from hours of travel. Red lips framed a beautiful small smile. "I've been trying to get him to stop. We have an empty seat in our row if you want to sit there instead."

I smiled. "Thank you. That'd be great."

Grabbing my bag, I carefully crawled across the pair, seating myself at the window. The brunette turned to me, extending a hand. "I'm Regina."

"Emma," I replied, returning the gesture.

There was a pause. "Why are you headed to Maine?"

"I'm actually going to Boston. I couldn't find a direct flight, so I'm catching a connection."

"Business or pleasure?"

"Business. I'm a bail bonds person. You?"

"My son…" She gestured to the boy, who was immersed in a sticker book, feet still tapping the seat in front of him. Regina placed a warning hand on his knee, and his legs stilled. "…and I are headed back home. Being mayor doesn't give a lot of vacation, so we wanted to spend the time we had somewhere warm."

"You're the mayor?"

"A little town called Storybrooke. Quaint streets. Sprawling forests." She smiled. "Almost like a fairytale."

"Sounds nice."

"It is." Silence fell, and Regina closed her eyes, letting the movements of the plane lull her to sleep. I spent the rest of the flight listening to music, sneaking glances at the sleeping beauty beside me. Every so often, Henry would strike up a conversation, and I felt my annoyance dissolve. He was polite, articulate, and undeniably cute. By the end of the flight, we were laughing and talking like old friends. Well, as much a twenty-two-year-old and a five-year-old could.

As the plane touched down, Henry gently shook his mother. "Mommy. We're home." Groggily, her eyes fluttered open. She smiled, weaving her fingers through his hair.

"Well," she said to me, "it was nice meeting you."

"You too."

Then, she turned to Henry and said, "You excited? School starts soon."

He nodded enthusiastically. "I can't wait."

I smiled at their conversation. Maybe one day I could send a son or daughter to their first day of school. I tried not to think about my little boy. _He's gone,_ I told myself. _You will never see him again._

**6 Years Later**

The doorbell rang and I left my cupcake on the kitchen table, going to open the door. My eyes shifted down, and I immediately recognized the boy in front of me.

"I know you. I met you on a plane…when you were little. What are you doing here?"

He smiled. "My name's Henry. I'm your son."

-ooo-

My eyes widened when I saw Regina, standing on the front lawn with an equally worried-looking man. She threw her arms around Henry, and they exchanged a few words before he ran inside. Then, her eyes met mine, and we stood in silence, drinking each other in.

"It's you," she said quietly.

I smiled meekly. "Hi."


	5. Nightmares

The loft was very quiet. Neal lay peacefully in his crib, and Mary Margaret and David slept gently, soft breath the only sound in the room. That was, until Emma Swan crashed down the stairs, eyes wide and hair mussed.

"Mom! Dad! Wakeup!" Her parents jolted into conscious, their gazes focusing on their daughter, who was still wearing her soft gray pajamas.

"Emma…" David grumbled, "what is it?"

"I think we've got termites." Immediately, they jolted out of bed.

"How do you know?" asked Mary Margaret.

"Had them in my old apartment when I was 24. It sucked. I woke up to them swarming my windowsill." Ascending the stairs, both parents gasped as they spied the bugs swarming around the windows.

"Emma…" breathed David. "This is not good."

Emma sighed. "Well, I would start calling around. We're going to need a place to stay for the next five days."

-ooo-

"What about this?" Mary Margaret held up a jar of jam from Granny and Emma nodded. The dark-haired woman dropped it into a bag. The family had been preparing for fumigation all day, trying to ignore what they had learned was an infestation of dry wood termites. They would need to move out while the fumigant professional sprayed chemicals to get rid of the termites.

Mary Margaret, David and Neal were set to stay at Granny's, and Emma was about to join them when Henry heard of her displacement. "We could have a sleepover!" he had exclaimed, disregarding the fact that he saw her literally every day and split his time between sleeping at Regina's and the loft. Nonetheless, the blonde ended up on Regina's doorstep Tuesday night.

The brunette answered the door with a scowl, the first words out of her mouth: "I did _not_ consent to this, and Henry will be sorely missing his Gameboy this weekend." To anyone else, the words would have seemed harsh, but Emma could see the glint of humor in her eyes.

The blonde rolled her eyes. "I'm not _that_ bad."

A small smile crept onto Regina's face. "You'd be better if you helped me with the dishes."

Emma laughed. "Consider it done."

Stepping over the threshold, Emma suddenly realized this would be the longest time she had spent in Regina's home. She'd hung out plenty of times and had sleepovers when Henry was smaller, but this was actually _living_ together. She didn't know what would happen, but had to admit the experience was rather exciting.

Lost in thought, the blonde wasn't prepared for the wet rag that hit her square in the face.

"The glasses need to be hand-washed," Regina said. Her back was turned, and Emma had the strangest feeling that the woman was smiling.

-ooo-

The Mills family owned an extensive DVD collection. It was a fact Emma had never known, but quickly learned when Henry announced Tuesday movie night was beginning. It was odd to see Regina wander into the living room wearing silk pajamas and a loose wool sweater, her face free of makeup and hair swept back after a long day. She was so used to the woman's pantsuits and formal outfits she had almost forgotten she actually slept.

The group settled on the couch and Regina popped in one of her favourite movies. Henry sat between his moms, snuggling between their warmth. It was quiet, peaceful. Emma felt herself relax, and as the night dwindled down, she was getting more and more tired. Henry was sent to bed, leaving the two women to fold the blankets and put away the bowl of popcorn they had been sharing.

When everything was in order Emma said, "Well, I'm going to head up to bed. Goodnight Regina."

"Goodnight Emma."

-ooo-

The alarm went off like a cold dash of water in Emma's face. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was 6:30, her usual wakeup time. She rolled out of bed and went downstairs, making herself some toast. Regna was up, reading a novel. Henry got up at seven and they all left for work and school an hour and a half later.

_Not bad for my first day_, Emma thought as she drove to the sheriff's station. _Not bad at all._

The following evening was very similar to the previous, minus the movies. According to Henry, those were very strictly reserved for Tuesdays, and Tuesdays only. Thus, she spent her evening talking to her parents on the phone and filing some forgotten paperwork.

The sun was beginning to set, and Emma found herself nearly dozing off leaning on the kitchen table. An hour after Henry bid her goodnight, the blonde decided it was time for bed.

Rubbing her eyes, she made her way upstairs, falling onto the guest bed. The minute her head hit the pillow, she was asleep.

Regina couldn't sleep. Her thoughts spun in circles, culminating into one four letter word: Emma. If someone had told her four years ago that Emma Swan would be sleeping in the bedroom next door, she would have scoffed and poofed away. Now, she could hear the blonde as she switched off the lamp and the rustling of covers as she crawled into bed. Something felt different… like a small warmth in her chest. She couldn't quite tell what it was, only that it made her feel good, almost happy.

-ooo-

_Emma sprinted down the hallway, panting as she heard the threats and vulgarities behind her. Her hair swished as she turned around corners, flicking her in the face. She had to run, or at least hide. They were coming for her. _

_Dodging into a closet, Emma waited in baited breath. Then, someone screaming her name._

"_Emma! Emma! Please! Help me!" Her heart stopped. It was Regina. The closet was pried open, and they stood above her, holding a bound Regina, who was struggling to break free, tears streaming down her face. _

"_No! Regina!" There was a snap and the woman dropped to the floor._

_They smiled. "You're next." But Emma didn't care. Regina was gone, and there was a void so empty she didn't think it could ever be filled. She began to cry, and all of a sudden she was drowning, lungs filling with salty water. For some reason, she still felt empty. That was, until she couldn't breath. _

Regina jolted awake by someone shrieking her name. "Regina!"

She ran into the guest room to find Emma writhing in her bed, the sheets on the floor. Tears were gushing down her face, and she was covered in cold sweat. Her limbs lashed uncontrollably; it was almost as if she was drowning. Again, she shrieked: "Regina!"

Though she was unsure why Emma was calling for her, the brunette rushed to her side, attempting to calm her. Narrowly avoiding an accidental punch to the face, Regina grabbed Emma's arms, effectively pinning her down. Immediately, she calmed, somehow sensing the woman's touch even though she was still asleep.

Her cries grew quieter until she was eventually silent, breathing still uneven. Regina tried to leave, but the second her fingers left Emma's skin the blonde began screaming. She quickly returned to her side, deciding the best course of action was to wake the younger woman.

"Dear, wake up," she said quietly. Emma's eyes flew open and she immediately rolled over and vomited all over the bed.

"Crap," Regina grumbled. Emma had again lost consciousness, so the brunette took the reasonable course of action. Emma was not heavy, and Regina could easily scoop her up into her arms. Not bothering with modesty she quickly pulled off Emma's shirt, exchanging it for a clean one. Regina carried the woman to her room, setting her carefully on the bed. Emma was quiet, still moaning every once and a while. Regina crawled under the covers next to her, letting herself snuggle up next to the sheriff. Emma was very warm, and Regina worried she might have a fever, but decided to leave it until the morning. Emma had stilled, sensing that Regina was near. After several minutes, her eyes fluttered open.

"Re-Regina?"

The brunette smiled, squeezing the blonde's hand.

"I'm here dear."

"Please…don't leave."

The warmth in her chest grew, filling her up like sweet nectar. "Never, Emma." In her mind, she added the words she wasn't ready to say. _I'll never leave you because I love you, and I never want to see you in pain._


End file.
